PLASTICS: Rising Sun Rock Festival

With their rudimentary synths, wiry guitar hooks, dazzling fashion and the insane barked vocals of Chica Sato and Hajime Tachibana, Plastics were Japan’s quintessential late 1970s new-wave band, finding fans in contemporaries Devo and The B-52’s. Their re-formation comes as neo wave and nu rave spill into the mainstream, throwing up such pop icons as Lady Gaga and a return from Devo. Though Sato sadly won’t be present, expect a performance-heavy show.

The setting: Rising Sun is the favorite festival of most bands that play it. It’s also one of Japan’s most intimate: stages are visible from some camp sites. Being 15 km from Sapporo means cool breezes, and all-night stages on Saturday ensure the festival will live up to its name.